The field of the present invention is storage organizers. More particularly, the field of the present invention relates to wall-mounted devices for the storage of loose articles.
Storage organizers come in many types and styles. Their utility has increased over time as a result of the tendency to accumulate numerous gadgets, devices, and other items associated with the contemporary lifestyle. Given the fact that many homeowners have confronted the ever-decreasing amount of storage space, the advent of devices and methods for maximizing the amount of storage that can be obtained has developed into its own industry.
Very basic to the foregoing premise is the development of wall-mounted shelving. Many times in garage and basement space, the homeowner is able to purchase brackets and support systems that allow shelving to be installed by directly mounting the hardware onto the surface of a wall or onto a stud that is used as part of the framing of the garage or basement space. These wall-mounted systems are well known in the art and have served great utility over time. They obviously will continue to do so since they do provide a substantial support. However, they are typically directed towards applications where many feet of shelving space are involved.
Other storage devices have developed over time and are well known, such as wall-mounted hooks or brackets. These are static devices that merely provide a support point along the surface of a wall or a stud, whereby the homeowner is free to hang or drape objects onto the support. Devices of this type probably go back more than 150 years in time, when they may have held a bow or a quiver of arrows, or a musket and a powder horn.
More contemporary devices are known whereby the traditional wall-mounted shelving may be replaced by wire structures. Again, these wire structures are similar to the shelving in providing linear footage along the support system and are extremely useful in those circumstances when large amounts of goods need to be stored in this fashion.
Other devices and advances on the described prior art, above, are know as well. In short though, all of these approaches have the same objective in mind, that being the enhancement of a storage space in a fixed area such as a garage or basement.
Difficulties with the prior art do exist, and these relate to the mounting and fastening techniques that are required. Many times, the system approach for wall-mounted shelving, for instance, is not compatible with the particular stud spacing that is provided within the given storage environment. In these instances, maximization of the supporting ability of the product is limited owing to installation directly into wallboard rather than into a stud itself. Additionally, the utilization of such prior art storage devices is not readily amenable to the potential applications. As a result, attachment to surfaces such as wallboard, peg board, or direct mounting within conventional stud spacing requires a different approach and many times, different hardware for each. Thus, the homeowner is left to contemplate the particular architecture that he is confronting as well as the need to acquire additional tools and/or fasteners in order to overcome the incompatibilities that he is presented with.
Accordingly, a storage system is desired that solves the aforementioned problems and has the aforementioned advantages.
The present invention relates to a storage organizer that is simultaneously mountable onto the surface of a conventional flat wall system, such as a drywall composition. The storage organizer is also mountable onto a perforated panel, such as a pegboard, or in a manner consistent with conventional stud spacing.
In accordance with the present invention, a organizer shelf with integrally formed sidewalls and with a front portion and a rear portion, is formed in a width that is compatible with insertion between the area that may be exposed between supporting studs in a garage or basement area. Further, the present invention includes engagement areas whereby it may be directly mountable onto fasteners that have been attached to the sides of the exposed studs.
The present invention also contemplates the usage of a formed-wire organizer that similarly has the capabilities for mounting onto a flat wall surface, a perforated panel or pegboard surface, or for insertion in between exposed studs in a garage or basement area. The formed-wire organizer embodiment of the present invention also contains an engagement area compatible with the installation of the invention onto the fasteners that had been mounted into the sides of the studs.
The present invention further includes a storage organizer, comprising a pivotable pronged assembly, that is mated to a base plate and captured against a flat wall surface or directly onto a stud. The storage organizer uniquely provides for supportable storage of goods that can be hung or laid across the pronged assembly. Further, when not in use, this embodiment allows for the movement of the prongs to a xe2x80x9cstoredxe2x80x9dposition such that they do not project out from the surface to which they are mounted. Therefore, the prongs are unobtrusive and prevent accidental contact by the homeowner when traversing through the garage or basement area.
In one aspect of the present invention, a storage organizer is provided that is adapted for attachment to a building wall, a two-by-four stud, or other structure having a flat surface for creating storage thereon. The storage organizer includes a base plate with at least one support pocket defining a horizontal axis of rotation, and a U-shaped storage member having a pronged body and pronged arms extending from the pronged body. The pronged body has at least one straight section positioned within the support pocket for rotation about the axis of rotation, with the pronged arms being movable between an upright storage position and a downwardly-pivoted extended use position. The pronged body further has an offset bent section integral with and extending from the straight section. The offset bent section is bent at a predetermined angle to the pronged arms so that, when the pronged arms are in the extended use position, the offset bent section engages the base plate to hold the pronged arms in the extended use position.
In another aspect of the present invention, a storage organizer is adapted for positioning between and attachment to studs of a building wall for creating storage in and along the building wall, where the studs have a known horizontal space therebetween and where the building wall includes a panel attached to a rear side of the studs to close one side of the horizontal space and where fasteners are located in the sides of the studs at a predetermined dimension forward of the panel and between the studs. The storage organizer includes a storage unit having opposing sides and a bottom structure. The sides each include downwardly-open notches proximate but spaced forwardly from a rear of the sides and spaced above the bottom structure. The storage unit has a width dimension chosen and adapted to fit into the space between the studs, with the notches being shaped and adapted to securely receive but releasably engage the fasteners to create a torque force in combination with the rear portion of the bottom structure for holding the storage unit in a use position. By this arrangement, the storage unit is constructed and adapted to slip between the studs and downwardly onto the fasteners with the notches engaging the fasteners and with a bottom portion of the rear engaging the panel to hold the storage unit in a use position.
In another aspect of the present invention, a kit is provided for constructing a storage organizer, where the organizer is attachable to different support structures. The kit includes a storage unit having opposing sides and a bottom structure defining a width that is adapted to fit between vertically opposing surfaces and against a panel attached to an outside surface of the vertically opposing surfaces. The sides have side-facing connectors adapted to engage headed fasteners on the vertically opposing surfaces. The side-facing connectors are spaced above the bottom structure, so that the storage unit can be hung on the fasteners with a portion of the bottom structure engaging the panel, with the storage unit being held in cantilever between the vertically opposing surfaces and against the panel. A rear portion of the storage unit includes a plurality of rear-facing connectors adapted to receive fasteners to retain the storage unit in cantilever from a flat wall surface.
In one form, the rear-facing connectors include apertures for receiving screws, and further include anchors that are extendable into holes in a perforated panel for receiving the screw. In a narrower form, a combination includes a perforated panel with regularly spaced holes, and the anchors of the kit are shaped to frictionally engage selected ones of the holes for supporting the storage unit on the perforated panel.
In another aspect of the present invention, a storage organizer includes a storage unit having a bottom and sides. The storage unit is made from formed-wire, with each side having wire sections defining a downwardly open V-shaped notch that is shaped and adapted to receive and engage a screw extending laterally into the side. The open V-shaped notch terminates in a narrowed area that wedges and clamps against the screw, with the narrowed area being above the bottom. By this arrangement, the storage unit can be lowered onto a pair of opposing screws that extend inwardly from opposing directions, with the screws wedging into the notches on the sides to support a weight of the storage unit and items stored thereon.
In another aspect of the present invention, a storage organizer comprises a storage unit having a bottom, sides, and a rear. The rear includes a rear bar of material. A clip has a pair of legs and a resilient section that wraps around the rear bar with the pair of legs positioned proximate each other. The legs each include an aperture for receiving a fastener. The resilient section is sufficient in strength to engage the rear bar and hold the storage unit when only one of the legs is attached to a support surface, but flexible to permit the second leg to be flexed adjacent the first leg so that both the first and second legs can be engaged by a single fastener.
It is an object of the present invention, therefore, to provide a series of storage organizers that have a high degree of compatibility for the various installation environments.
It is also an object of the present invention to provide storage organizers that are self-contained in that no additional accumulation of components other than the unit itself (and the fasteners) is required for installation.
These and other aspects, objects, and features of the present invention will be understood and appreciated by those skilled in the art upon studying the following specification, claims, and appended drawings.